Conference in honor of Professor Abel La Calle Marcos: “Water Governance: From European Strategies to Local Action”

On 22 May, the conference “Water Governance: From European Strategies to Local Action”, organised by the Faculty of Law at the University of Almería, the New Water Culture Foundation and the European Documentation Centre at the University of Almería, which will also serve as a tribute to Abel La Calle Marcos, a professor at the University of Almería who passed away in December 2024.

This conference will address the European, national and local dimensions of water governance.

Water is one of the planet’s most valuable resources, and ensuring its accessibility contributes directly to improving people’s quality of life; therefore, its management must be approached through governance, defined by the OECD as the range of political, institutional and administrative rules, practices and processes through which decisions are made and implemented. Within this framework of effective governance—which serves as both a means and a prerequisite for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources—the interests of various stakeholders are taken into account, and decision-makers are held accountable for their management through processes in which administrations and stakeholders coordinate their needs to achieve water policy objectives. To achieve tangible, results-oriented public policies, this system is based on the OECD Principles of Water Governance, which are structured around three mutually reinforcing dimensions: effectiveness, efficiency, and trust and participation.

Furthermore, as water falls within the Public Water Domain, ownership is always exercised by the Public Administration and access is regulated by law, determining which uses are freely accessible and under what conditions. This entire governance system is governed by a comprehensive regulatory framework that provides the necessary legal basis for the management, protection and conservation of water bodies, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the resource over time.

Venue, date and speakers

The event will take place in the Sala de Grados at CITE V, University of Almería, on 22 May from 11:00 to 13:30. The following speakers will take part:

• Mr Francesc La Roca Cervigón, Vice-President of the New Water Culture Foundation.
• Ms Julia Martínez Fernández, Technical Director of the New Water Culture Foundation.
• Mr Francisco Javier Martínez Rodríguez, Head of the Water Cycle Operations Section at the Almería Provincial Council.
• The panel will be moderated by Mr José María Calaforra Chordi, Geology Professor at the University of Almería.

The event will be opened by:

• Mr José Antonio Sánchez Pérez, Vice-Chancellor for Scientific Policy at the University of Almería.
• Ms Fátima Pérez Ferrer, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Almería.
• Mr José Ignacio López-Gay Lucio-Villegas, Director of the European Documentation Centre at the University of Almería.

Tribute to Abel La Calle Marcos

Abel La Calle was a staunch Europeanist, a leading figure in environmental law and a champion of nature. He was an exceptional lawyer, academic and activist, whose personal and professional life was inextricably linked to the protection of the environment and the defence of the public interest. Recognised as one of Spain’s foremost experts in water law, his work left a profound mark on both academia and environmental jurisprudence.

He joined the University of Almería (UAL) in 1993 as an associate professor in the field of Public International Law. As a doctor and lecturer, he was a leading figure in the teaching of European Union environmental law, delivering lectures and talks at numerous national and international institutions.

As a practising lawyer, he became nature’s ‘legal shield’. He represented social and environmental groups in landmark legal battles against the National Hydrological Plan, the Ebro water transfer and the modification of the Júcar-Vinalopó water scheme. His cases reached the courts of the European Union, securing landmark rulings for the protection of ecosystems.

One of his greatest legacies is his association with the New Water Culture Foundation (FNCA). He was a founding partner of this organisation (which operates in Spain and Portugal) and served as its president between 2015 and 2023. Through this platform, he championed a paradigm shift in water management, moving away from a purely extractive approach to embrace management based on sustainability, cost recovery (the ‘polluter pays’ principle) and respect for ecological flow rates.

His activism was not confined to the office. He was a member of the Governing Board of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park and collaborated closely with the Experimental Station for Arid Zones (EEZA-CSIC) and groups such as Ecologistas en Acción. Among his most notable causes were the fight against Repsol’s exploration activities in the Canary Islands (which earned him official recognition from the Fuerteventura Island Council), the protection of groundwater from mining, the exposure of the impact of renewable and photovoltaic energy on steppe birds in Almería, and the critical analysis of water privatisation.

A lover of photography, music and cinema, Abel understood the law not as an end in itself, but as a tool for service. He firmly believed in ‘austerity’ as a value in harmony with ecosystems and in the need to reclaim the public sphere in the face of the commodification of nature.